Political Dig

Law Professor: Trump Can Be Prosecuted For Fraud And Racketeering

Professor Christopher L. Peterson, a legal researcher at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law says that current lawsuits against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump are sufficient grounds prosecute him for fraud and racketeering and even to impeach him from the presidency.

“The evidence indicates that Trump University used a systemic pattern of fraudulent representations to trick thousands of families into investing in a program that can be argued was a sham.”

Professor Christopher L. Peterson | Image: University of Utah

The paper highlights the fact that should Trump win the election in November, he would be vulnerable to impeachment even before he takes office, thanks to fraud and racketeering lawsuits related to the Trump University case.

“Fraud and racketeering are serious crimes that legally rise to the level of impeachable acts,” Peterson said.

In the lawsuits against Trump University, a number of litigants say the ‘degree’ was billed as a series of seminars with Donald Trump and top real estate professionals that would teach enrollees to wheel and deal in high-value properties and amass millions in profit.

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Documents introduced into evidence show that the organization targeted the families of veterans and single mothers as ideal prospects for the scam. According to Raw Story, families were encouraged to take out extravagant loans and max out their credit cards to pay the program’s $30,000 average tuition.

“In no way was Trump University an actual educational seminar, but in fact a ‘sales environment’ where enrollees were urged to put more and more of their own money into the program,” Peterson said.

“Sales practices at each seminar were systematically designed, painstakingly choreographed, and implemented ruthlessly,” he wrote, based on internal memos between Trump University administrators and staff. “Posing as teachers, sales staff were trained to manipulate students’ emotions in order to sell expensive ‘Trump elite’ packages.”

He added: “Trump University trained staff to find the emotional vulnerabilities of students and exploit those vulnerabilities to sell additional Trump University packages.”

Several attendees were left bankrupt with their credit ruined. Then when they attempted to seek redress, their calls weren’t returned and the company appeared to evaporate into thin air, according to the report.